Vanitas

Vanitas

An artwork for smartphones and cemeteries.

Nominees like Robert Walton and Jason Maling (Vanitas) are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet. It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the over 13,000 entries we received this year.– Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards

Chapter One

Hidden in plain sight at the centre of a 300 year old painting lurks a mysterious void that promises oblivion to those who stare too intently. Download Vanitas now to inspect the evidence for yourself, listen to the experts and judge two friends as they try to make sense of the past with traces of the present.

Vanitas mixes podcast-style listening with beautiful visual materials to create an experience that is part documentary, part fantasy. Just like real life there is no narrator, so it is up to you to pull fact from fiction as the world unfurls before your senses.

Chapter Two

Somewhere near the centre of the cemetery a woman waits with a promise to explain the meaning of a mysterious flower delivery. The trouble is finding her as you pick your way amongst the graves, alone.

Vanitas is an opportunity to spend some time alone in the presence of strangers both living and dead. More than an app, Vanitas stretches from its recorded voices, original composition and images, out into your smartphone, the cemetery around you and into your life.